Emirates Food Bank cooperates with “Naama” to manage excess food and reduce its waste during Ramadan

The Emirates Food Bank has announced a strategic partnership with the National Initiative to reduce the loss and waste of food “Naama”, aiming to enhance the support of the owed groups and contribute to the sustainability of the environment by organizing two pioneering initiatives aimed at managing the food surplus and limiting its waste, and delivering it to the largest number of targeted segments within the country, in the context of activating charitable and humanitarian initiatives during the holy month of Ramadan for the year 2025.

The first initiative: a million meals of food surplus that did not affect
This initiative aims to provide one million meals of excess food for the groups due in society during the holy month, for the third year in a row, and this initiative comes within the framework of the UAE vision to enhance social and environmental responsibility, especially with the announcement of the year 2025 years of society.

The partnership between the Emirates Food Bank and the National Initiative to reduce the loss of food and waste of food “Naama” includes coordination with more than 75 hotel facilities, to collect and distribute food that did not affect the due categories, as it will participate in the implementation of the initiative in the Emirate of Dubai, the Department of Economics and Tourism in Dubai.

The initiative also focuses on managing the surplus of food safely and effectively to reduce its waste by collecting the surplus of food for consumption by the bank and redistributing it to the beneficiaries in the country, and converting the food that is not good for consumption into oils and agricultural fertilizers in cooperation with the application of “Rilop” from the company Issaysel International for recycling, which contributes to preserving the environment and supports the principles of the circular economy.

The “million meals of food surplus” initiative is one of the most prominent initiatives aimed at saving food and turning it from the landfill during the blessed month of Ramadan, especially since it had started in 2022, as it witnessed an increase of 75% in the participating hotels between 2022 and 2024, and the data indicates that food wasted and redirects by 47% in some of these hotels during the same period.

This reflects the effectiveness of the national methodology for the “Naama” initiative and the importance of the role of the Emirates Food Bank in reducing food waste, as hundreds of gathering and sorting foods were provided from the source, and more than 400 individuals from the cooking and hospitality crews benefited in the participating hotels from specialized training during the year 2024, in addition to providing a record number of surplus meals that did not affect the beneficiaries. In addition to achieving a precise separation rate of food residues during the last month of Ramadan, which was converted into more than 46 thousand kilograms of organic fertilizer.

The second initiative: Providing community refrigerators in the Emirate of Dubai
In the context of strengthening community cooperation, the Emirates Food Bank supports the “Naama” initiative to provide a group of “Naama Refrigerators” in strategic locations in the Emirate of Dubai, so that these refrigerators are easy to reach by individuals and targeted groups. These refrigerators contain the surplus of food that has not touched the provider of hotels, as the Emirates Food Bank and the “Naama” initiative manages the food collection process and distributed it in these refrigerators in a safe way. The initiative aims to provide food for the beneficiaries and the needy during the holy month of Ramadan, while ensuring that the distribution process is carried out properly.

Kholoud Hassan Al -Nuwais, CEO of Sustainability at the Emirates Foundation and Secretary -General of the “Naama” Initiative Committee, said: “Cooperation between the“ Naama ”initiative and the Emirates Food Bank is an important step towards unifying efforts, to enhance the sustainability of resources and reduce food waste in society. Through this partnership, we are working together to develop innovative solutions supported by technology applications to distribute food safely and effectively, which reflects our deep commitment to enhance Social responsibility, environmental protection, and the achievement of the UAE’s goals in reducing food waste significantly.

She concluded, saying: “Through teamwork, we can make a meaningful effect, and ensure that no food is wasted, while preserving the values ​​of generosity, gratitude and consumption during the blessed month of Ramadan and beyond.”

For its part, Manal Bin Yarouf, head of the Executive Team of the Emirates Food Bank, said: “We are pleased to cooperate with the“ Naama ”initiative this year, which completes a successful partnership series over the past years. A partnership in a humanitarian initiative, but rather is part of a long -term strategic vision that seeks to address the issue of food waste in the UAE in a comprehensive and sustainable manner, and keeps pace with our targets at the Emirates Food Bank and our vision in achieving leadership and sustainability in the field of managing and collecting food surplus, preserving and communicating it with the highest quality of the beneficiaries wherever they are and at any time, in a reflection of the initiatives of goodness and the values ​​of giving on which the bank’s approach is based on the approach of the bank Since its inception.

In a related context, Youssef Lootah, Executive Director of the Institutional Strategy and Performance Sector in the Dubai Department of Economics and Tourism, and Chairman of the Environmental Sustainability Committee and Social Responsibility in the department said: “Our participation with 56 hotels in Dubai in two initiatives (providing one million meals of food surplus that has not been touched), as well as (providing community refrigerators in the Emirate of Dubai) confirms our firm commitment to creating a positive impact in the environment And society, in line with the targets of the Dubai Economic Agency D33 as well as the ambitious vision of the wise leadership in making Dubai the best city in the world to live, work and visit.

Lootah explained that supporting such initiatives contributes to preserving the environment and reduces negative effects on natural resources, and establishes a culture of preserving grace, responsible consumption and community work, especially during the blessed month of Ramadan and beyond. It is also consistent with the “Dubai Sustainable Tourism” initiative to achieve environmental goals and sustainability.

Lootah expressed his thanks to the partners in the hospitality sector for their response and their participation in initiatives that support environmental sustainability and achieve welfare and social solidarity.

Commenting on this topic, Hussein Moussa, Executive Director of the Mall of the Emirates to Majid Al -Futtaim Real Estate, said: “We seek in Majid Al -Futtaim to constantly make a deeper positive impact in our societies, and the initiative of the Naama community refrigerators is completely consistent with our commitment to sustainability and resource management. By providing three strategic locations for refrigerators in the Mall of the Emirates and ensuring that workers get their meals smoothly, we were able to contribute to the initiative of the initiative Supports the needy and contributes an active role in reducing food waste. “

Cooperation between the Emirates Food Bank and the “Nationality of the National” initiative is a real embodiment of the joint efforts in supporting the Emirati society and enhancing awareness about the importance of sustainability and reducing food waste.